


Darkness Inside the Light

by RadcliffePotter



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-12-01 18:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20866931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RadcliffePotter/pseuds/RadcliffePotter
Summary: Driven bonkers by his staff after a period of long dry spells with no wounded, Colonel Potter gets an acting troupe to come for a morale boosting visit. But things are not always what they seem and the troupe seems to have a dark secret. Can Sidney and the doctors of the 4077th figure it out?





	1. Put On Your Dancing Shoes

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on FF.net under the title "Unexpected Surprises". But, then I realized that title was total shit. The story was never finished on FF.net but I do aim to finish it and update both there and here. This story does involve OCs and focuses heavily on Hawkeye, BJ, and Sidney interacting with each other and those OCs. This is the first time I've ever posted on AO3, so I'd really appreciate some feedback!

"Is this even meat?" Hawkeye asked, suspiciously inspecting the lump of brown stuff on his plate that was supposed to be beef. "I think it moved!" He exclaimed, elbowing BJ Hunnicutt.

BJ snickered in a half-hearted way, tired of eating the same old slop every day and half sharing Hawkeye's suspicion that this was not really meat. BJ sighed and pushed his plate away, "I can't eat...whatever this is."

Hawkeye nodded in agreement. The pair left the mess hall. They weren't the only ones feeling stuck in a rut. The whole camp was getting restless. The past few months had been brutal: back to back days of surgery followed by long stretches of no casualties that were so excruciatingly boring that everyone half wished they did have surgery just to give them something to occupy their minds and their hands.

The morose mood was interrupted by two trucks pulling into the compound and stopping outside Potter's office. From them came four unfamiliar figures: two men and two women. "Now there's a way to take your mind off things!" exclaimed Hawkeye, looking the two women up and down while elbowing BJ and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. BJ smiled indulgently back. The four newcomers had headed into Potter's office, so Hawkeye and BJ followed.

With his usual sense of decorum and dignity, Hawkeye burst into Colonel Potter's office with BJ on his heels. "Don't you ever knock?" Potter asked, looking annoyed.

"You know us better than that," said BJ, grinning.

"Well, as long as you're here, you might as well know since you've just spoiled my secret," said Potter, sighing with resignation. "I'd like you to meet Cassie, Hannah, Jay, and Russ." Each person nodded in turn. "These four are an acting troupe that I convinced the General to let come and provide some entertainment since all of you are going stir crazy and you're about to drive _me_ crazy!" Cassie smirked at this statement.

Hawkeye and BJ whooped with glee at the prospect of some entertainment and some new people at the base. Colonel Potter, who rubbed the bridge of his nose in a way that indicated a coming migraine, turned to the four visitors and said, "You kids must be tired. Go settle in, take a nap, take a shower, get some food, or whatever else you need to do and then we can talk more tonight about how long you're staying and what type of entertainment you have in mind."

The four nodded gratefully and stood to leave. They seemed to look at each other for a moment until Cassie finally said, "I'll take care of it. The rest of you get outta here." The remaining three left and Cassie, hands in her pockets, turned to Colonel Potter and said, "We're supposed to call our manager and tell him that we got here in one piece."

"Oh, of course," he said, politely and then yelled, "RADAR!" The diminutive clerk appeared in less than half a second, the swinging doors narrowly missing a chance to clock Cassie solidly in the head.

Radar said, "I'll get Tokyo on the horn, sir," at the same time that Colonel Potter said, "Get Tokyo for me, will you?"

Cassie looked between Colonel Potter and Radar perplexed. Hawkeye saw his chance for a graceful entrance and took it, "That's why we call him Radar. He always knows things before they happen."

"Oh," Cassie said, peering curiously at the clerk, who blushed furiously and headed off to the phone with Colonel Potter. She stared after him for a second, then turned to the two surgeons, extended her hand in greeting, and said, "Cassie."

"Hawkeye," said Hawkeye. "I'm the finest surgeon at this camp, capable of meeting _all_ your needs." He gave a suggestive look and his trademark boyish smile. Hawkeye shook her hand and held it a little bit too long while their eyes lingered on each other before Hawkeye said, "This is BJ. He has the misfortune to be my roommate."

"You're right," BJ nodded. "He's always trying to steal my socks." Cassie smiled, shaking his hand too. 

"You look tired," he observed, taking in her dusty fatigues and dark circles under her eyes. As if to prove his point, she stifled a yawn with a fist.

She gestured that the two men should follow her out into the main office where Radar was trying to get through to Tokyo. "You look pretty played out," said Colonel Potter, looking at her critically.

"So I hear," she said, with a smirk at Hawkeye and BJ, leaning against Radar's desk. She sighed and said, "I _am_ tired. We've been on the road for about 36 hours."

"36 hours?" asked BJ looking incredulous. "It doesn't take that long to get from here to Tokyo."

"True," she said. "But all the delays took that long! We had been in Tokyo before this entertaining some VIPs. The flight from Tokyo to Seoul is only about two hours...but we got bumped three times from flights due to some 'urgent' matters. You know...higher-ups who are too impatient to wait their turn. Then, our flight was delayed by bad weather. When we finally got to Seoul, we got sent to the wrong base the first time and we had to head back to Seoul while they figured things out. Then, they sent us here but our truck broke down on the way. So, we had to head back to Seoul again while they tried to find us another transport to get here. _Then_...we actually got here."

Hawkeye groaned and said, "That only sounds slightly less uncomfortable than a root canal without anesthesia." Cassie nodded and sighed deeply. 

“The lines are a little jammed,” Radar said, looking frustrated and pulled the plugs out of jacks and pushed them into new ones, listening intently with a look of frustration. "This is gonna take awhile." 

She nodded and walked over to Radar's bunk. "Mind if I sit?" she asked. He shrugged indifferently. She sat down and Hawkeye took the opportunity to sit next to her.

"So," he said, as she adjusted herself so that she was leaning against the wall with her feet dangling over the edge, "what type of acting do you do?"

"Well," she said, shrugging, "Calling us an acting troupe is kind of misleading. We were all trained in lots of different types of performing arts, so everyone has a little something that's their specialty. Like the circus. We do more than just acting." Hawkeye nodded. 

"And what's your specialty?" BJ asked, standing next to the bed.

"Guess you'll find out, won't you?" she replied with a smirk. "I don't want to spoil any surprises any more than you two have already spoiled Colonel Potter's surprise. But in general, I'll tell you that we can sing and dance. We can all play at least one instrument. Some of us have a few other odd skills that we picked up along the way."

For a few minutes, BJ and Hawkeye were distracted by Nurse Able coming in to say that some supplies were running low. The three stood around a supply sheet conferring about a few things while Radar was still trying to reach Tokyo through scrambled lines with Potter waiting behind his shoulder.

Radar crowed with success when he finally got through to Sparky. "Hey," he said, turning around, "Who were you trying to reach?" 

Colonel Potter put a finger to his lips and tapped Radar on the shoulder when he realized that Cassie had fallen asleep sitting up. Head tilted slightly to the side, arms crossed, chest lightly rising and falling, the long trip to the 4077th had finally caught up with her.

"Poor kid," Potter said, to Hawkeye and BJ, who had just finished the supply order, "Looks to me like _she_ could use some R&R too!" They nodded. "C'mon, Radar," he said, over his shoulder. "I think I have the manager's contact information on file in my office."

Radar put Sparky on hold and followed Potter into his office. BJ and Hawkeye stood for a moment, watching Cassie sleep. Hawkeye took in her short, light brown hair, long eyelashes, and slim physique. Eyeing her critically - this time as a doctor, not as a man on the prowl - Hawkeye said, "She's too pale."

BJ nodded and said, "But nothing that a good night's sleep, some solid food, and a warm shower couldn't take care of."

Hawkeye walked briefly into post-op and pulled a blanket from the supply closet. He came back in to find BJ gently moving Cassie so that she was fully lying down. She mumbled something incoherent, but didn't wake. Hawkeye put the blanket over her and tucked in the edges. 

"Sweet dreams, beautiful," Hawkeye said before walking into Potter's office with BJ.

"She's still asleep," BJ said to Colonel Potter.

"Best thing for her," Potter said, looking over the tops of his glasses. "That was one tuckered out kid if ever I saw one. Radar, if you need to sleep, just leave her there and go sleep in post-op. All the beds are empty and you can take your pick."

"Yessir," the clerk said. "I gotta get back to Sparky," he said, carrying out a piece of paper with something scribbled on it. "Want me to let you know when I get through?" he asked. Potter nodded and Radar scurried out.

Potter sighed and sat down. "So what do you know about these performers?" BJ asked, curious.

"Truth be told," Potter said, "not much. I've heard from some of the higher ups that they're some of the best entertainment they've seen in awhile. I know they travel around the camps here and sometimes in Seoul and Tokyo doing this kind of thing. But beyond that, I haven't heard much." 

BJ nodded. Radar opened the door just long enough to say, "He's waiting to talk to you, sir." 

Colonel Potter followed Radar into the office and picked up the phone. "Mr. Reynolds?" he asked. "Yes, just wanted to let you know that your troupe got here just fine...after quite a few delays, I understand." There was silence for a moment and Colonel Potter's brow furrowed. "I see," he said, tone changing to concern. He looked across the room at Cassie sleeping silently on Radar's bed. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on them."

He stood, thanked Radar, and headed back into his office. BJ and Hawkeye had made themselves comfortable, their long limbs lounging haphazardly all over the office. Lost in thought, Potter stepped over their legs and sat down heavily at his desk.

"Something wrong?" BJ asked, sitting up, looking concerned.

"I'm not sure," Potter said, quietly. "I spoke with their manager on the phone to let him know that everyone arrived safely. He was pleased to hear it...but then he asked me to keep an eye on them."

"An eye? Why?" Hawkeye asked, shifting himself so that he too was sitting upright.

Potter shrugged. "He wasn't in the mood to say much. He just said that they'd had a real rough time of it lately and that he had been glad to get them somewhere with doctors."

"Rather cryptic," BJ said, looking thoughtful.

Potter nodded and said, "Well, whatever it is, just do me a favor and keep an eye on them. I'm not sure what he thinks will happen, but whatever it is, just be on the lookout."

"Maybe we should call in Sidney Freeman," Hawkeye suggested.

Potter looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "Not a bad idea. It'll take him a few days to get here. In the meantime we can monitor things to see if anything unusual shows up. And even if they don’t, Sidney always enjoys spending time here anyway." 

BJ and Hawkeye nodded in agreement. The two stood to leave and Potter warned, "Do me a favor and try not to be a pair of blabber mouths about this," he said sternly, looking particularly at Hawkeye. The raven-haired surgeon did have a tendency to be a bit of gossip.

"My lips are sealed," he announced dramatically. "Shall we pinky swear on it?" 

Colonel Potter rolled his eyes and BJ & Hawkeye left.

\-------------------

Cassie slowly opened her eyes. The surroundings around her were unfamiliar. It took her a moment to remember the end of the troupe's hazy journey to the 4077th. "Well, welcome back to the land of the living!" someone said, sarcastically yet cheerfully. She realized it was one of the doctors she had met before. What was his name again? ...Hawkeye, wasn't it?

Cassie eased up so that she was leaning on one elbow. She yawned. She looked around the room and saw Radar, sitting at his desk. Something clicked. Her free hand flew to her mouth in embarrassment as she exclaimed, "Radar! I took your bed! I'm so sorry!"

He shrugged, looking somewhat embarrassed himself and said, "Don't worry about it. You were tired."

Hawkeye came over and perched on the edge of the bed. He stared at her critically for a moment until Cassie finally said, "What?"

He put his hand to her forehead, testing her temperature, and finally said, "You could use some more sleep." Cassie shrugged and said, "Maybe. But right now I'm hungry...and dirty. Where's everyone else?"

"They all went to sleep too," Hawkeye said, "You're the first to emerge from slumberland," Cassie yawned again and then swung her legs back and around Hawkeye so that the two were sitting side by side. "So," she began, "Will you escort me to the mess tent? I'm starving!"

Hawkeye stood and offered his hand with a flourish. He exclaimed dramatically, "Of course, my fair lady! I shall escort you to the mess tent, fighting off rogue knights and dragons...even if it cost my very life!" She grinned, took his hand, and stood. He leaned in conspiratorially and said, "But I can't protect you from whatever they might be serving for lunch!" She laughed.

\--------------------

After a mostly palatable lunch, Cassie along with Hannah, Jay, and Russ, were sitting in Colonel Potter's office. The three had awoken only shortly before whereas Cassie had been awake for hours, taking the time to eat some lunch, shower, change, and get herself settled into the guest tent that she was sharing with Hannah. Colonel Potter privately thought that she must be the leader of the group because she always took it upon herself to do things when really anyone could have done them.

Hawkeye and BJ burst in through the doors and settled in, leaning themselves against the filing cabinets. "Can I help you?" asked Potter, looking annoyed at the two surgeons invading his small and already very full office.

"Just being neighborly," Hawkeye teased. Potter sighed and chose to ignore that remark. Turning to the four, he said, "So fill me in here. What are your plans?" 

Cassie said, "We're all yours. We're here for six days and we're happy to do a performance every night, if that's what everyone would be interested in." Colonel Potter glanced at the other three, who all quickly nodded their agreement.

"If you're up to that, that'd be great. It's been a rough time lately. Lots of wounded, lots of long days and nights, everyone's been kind of restless lately. It'd be nice for them to have something for them to look forward to!" Hawkeye and BJ nodded.

A look passed between the four before Jay said, "In that case, we'd like to start tonight with a dance! Everyone loves dancing. One of the best ways to shake off the blues! We'll provide the music and offer some dance numbers and the rest of the time everyone can dance. It'll be like a party."

Hannah nodded and said, "That mess tent looked like it'd be big enough. We could set up some food, move around some furniture, and hold it there." Russ bobbed his head in agreement. 

Colonel Potter nodded approvingly and said, "Works for me. What time tonight? Radar can make the announcement."

"How about 7 pm?" Cassie suggested. “And tell them put on their dancing shoes!”


	2. Dances & Epidemics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The troupe performs. An epidemic arises. Everyone's favorite psychiatrist arrives on the scene.

The announcement spread and by 6:30 pm, the tent was already full of excited people. The tent had been decorated gaily with streamers of all colors and chairs stood near the walls of the tent. The piano had been rolled in and a small stage that had been erected - just enough so that the performer would be head and shoulders above everyone else. Most of the 4077th was already in attendance waiting for their entertainment to appear. Father Mulcahy sat down near Hawkeye and BJ and said amicably, "Well, this is certainly a nice change of events!"

Their response was cut short by the appearance of the entertainment. The four stood on the stage and attempted to introduce themselves but were cut short by raucous cheers from their over-eager audience. "Ladies first!" announced Jay. Hannah stepped forward, wearing a shin length light grey dress that looked attractive rather than matronly. Her dark brown hair was lightly curled. "Hello, I'm Hannah!" she announced, with a rather shy smile. Cassie stepped up next. Hawkeye let out a wolf whistle and Margaret elbowed him in the ribs and whispered shrilly, "Don't you have any self-respect, Pierce?!"

Cassie was wearing a form fitting black dress that flared at the hip and fell just above her knee. Her hair fell in loose waves around her face. She looked amused at Hawkeye's vocalization and said, "I'm Cassie." Jay stepped up beside her and put his arm around her and said, "I'm Jay! Cassie is my dance partner." Jay was wearing slightly loose black dress pants and a tight fitting black short sleeve shirt. Russ stood apart for a moment and then said, in a relatively quiet voice, "I'm Russ". Russ was wearing tight black pants and somewhat loose grey shirt.

"Now that you know who we are," Jay said, gesturing grandly, every ounce the showman, "allow us to provide you with some entertainment! We'll start the evening off with a lovely number danced by Russ and Hannah, performed on piano by myself, and sung by Cassie."

Russ and Hannah moved towards the floor and the members of the 4077th quickly cleared a large oval for them to dance in. Jay took a seat and Cassie remained on stage alone. A glance was exchanged among the four and Jay began to play a gentle piano melody. Cassie began to sing, quiet and somewhat breathy, "It's not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me. Oh no, it's just the nearness of you." Russ and Hannah were dancing slowly and gracefully together. Russ spun and turned Hannah with a skill so practiced that it appeared effortless. Though the dancing was enchanting, Hawkeye had eyes only for Cassie.

"It isn't your sweet conversation that brings this sensation. Oh no, it's just the nearness of you." Russ swung Hannah up and then pulled her close as Cassie sang, "When you're in my arms, and I feel you so close to me, all my wildest dreams came true." The dancing pair split apart briefly before rejoining. "I need no soft lights to enchant me. If you'll only grant me the right to hold you ever so tight and to feel in the night the nearness of you." The dance ended with Russ dipping Hannah, her leg in the air, and their faces only an inch from each other, looking longingly into each other's eyes. 

The tent exploded with applause. Russ and Hannah bowed deeply, looking pleased, while Jay and Cassie smiled approvingly. Jay hopped up onto the stage and said, "Unfortunately, for this next number, we can't play the music live because there aren't enough of us to play all the instruments. But, we think you'll enjoy just the same." He winked. Russ carried a record player onto the stage as Jay and Cassie descended to the floor. The dancey swing rhythm of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" started up and Cassie and Jay began enthusiastically dancing.

Louie's distinctive voice filled the tent, "What good is melody, what good is music, if it ain't possessin' something sweet? Nah, it ain't the melody and it ain't the music, there's something else that makes this tune complete."

It became clear that all that Cassie's dress was so designed for a reason. The flair at the hips allowed her skirt to billow outwards whenever Jay would swing her around. Underneath, attached to the dress seemed to be some sort of black shorts. Radar's face was blushing red to the tips of his ears. 

"Yes, it don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing. Well, it don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing. It makes no difference if it's sweet or hot, just give that rhythm everything you got!" 

The song ended with Cassie spinning backwards into Jay's arms. The applause was even more explosive than it had been for Russ and Hannah's dance. Where Hannah & Russ' dance had been quietly romantic and elegant, Jay & Cassie's was passionately exuberant and alive with soul. 

Jay took the stage once more, removed the needle from the record, and after catching his breath said, "Now that we've got you in the mood for dancing, how about we all dance!" He gestured everyone to the floor. He placed the needle back on the record and next swing track began to play.

The floor quickly crowded with the personnel of the 4077th, joining the four as they all got lost in the excitable rhythms of some swing-type dancing. It wasn't as complicated or as fast as what Jay & Cassie had just finished, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Partners were passed around as the record moved from track to track with breaks for polite applause in between. The four performers took turns taking breaks to have a snack or take a short rest. 

Later in the evening, Cassie sidled over to Colonel Potter, who was happily seated, taking in the dancing and the rosy aura of the evening.

"That sure was some fancy footwork!" he said to her approvingly.

Cassie smiled and said, "Thank you." Then she suddenly looked a little distressed before saying, "We had planned some more routines for later in the evening, but everyone seems to be enjoying dancing. But we also don't want to disappoint them all...what do you think?"

Colonel Potter appraised the situation for a minute and then said, "I think that if they're happy, they might as well keep dancing. This is the nicest this bunch have been in weeks and I'd hate to spoil it!" Cassie grinned. Colonel Potter excused himself to the refreshment table.

Cassie noticed Father Mulcahy sitting by himself and walked over to him. "Why you sittin' over here all by yourself, Father?"

He shrugged and said sheepishly, "Well, I never was much of a dancer..."

"That's alright. Why not enjoy yourself?"

"Well...I wouldn't want to look silly..." he said, looking uncertain.

"If you'd like to learn how we can teach you!" She looked around and yelled, "Jay!"

Jay appeared in a matter of seconds at her shoulder. His cheeks flushed and grinning broadly he looked at Father Mulcahy sitting alone and looking uncertain and said, "Why so glum, chum?"

Before Mulcahy could speak, Cassie said, "The Father here could use a dance lesson." 

Jay smiled blindingly and said, "Now that is something we can do! Father, we'll go real slow. I'll show you the steps one by one. When you understand a few steps, Cassie will step in so that you can see them and practice them with a partner."

Father Mulcahy was pleased to find that the steps weren't nearly as complex as they looked and Jay was an extremely patient teacher. Perhaps 20 minutes later, he was able to dance a full song, somewhat slowly with Cassie. But, to her credit, she didn't seem frustrated at all by his slow dancing. He thought she looked just as pleased as he felt.

As the evening waned, the crowd died off as the 4077th began heading to their tents for bed or to Rosie's for a drink. Soon, it was only Hawkeye, BJ, Radar, Colonel Potter, and the four troupe members.

"Well kids," Colonel Potter said, looking extraordinarily pleased, “that was a slam bang evening. I can't remember the last time I saw this bunch in such good spirits!"

"Thank you, sir," Jay said, inclining his head. "We're happy to put on another show tomorrow night."

Hawkeye and BJ nodded vigorously. Colonel Potter pretended not to see them and considered for a moment before saying, "So long as you kids feel up to something else, we'd be real appreciative."

"Would you care to join us for a drink?" Hawkeye asked, putting on his most debonair smile. 

Before the four could answer, Colonel Potter said, "Oh, leave 'em alone. They've barely been here 12 hours and had a very long day before that and they put on a show for you!"

Jay smiled appreciatively and said, "We really do appreciate the offer. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm bushed!" The other three nodded and Cassie, who had slept very little previously, stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.

The four stood and prepared to head to their guest tents. Cassie walked over to Hawkeye and BJ. She gave each a kiss on the cheek and said, "Thank you for the invitation. Maybe we can have a rain check for tomorrow."

Hawkeye waggled his eyebrows quite suggestively and said cheekily, "For you, anytime."

Cassie smirked and the four left. 

\----------

It would seem that the night was not meant to be a quiet one. Cassie was awakened, what seemed like moments after she passed out, exhausted on the bed, by a strange sound. 

Full consciousness and awareness quickly took hold as Cassie realized that the strange sound was Hannah. She was doubled over on the ground, on her hands and knees. Alarmed, Cassie hurried over. 

"Hannah! Are you okay?" She asked, just in time to get close enough for Hannah to vomit all over the ground and her pant legs. Cassie stumbled back. A quick feel of Hannah's forehead and Cassie could tell she was burning up. 

"Stay here," she said urgently. "I'll get the doctor!"

Cassie sprinted the short distance to the Swamp and banged on the door. "Hawkeye! Hawkeye!" The door opened quickly enough that it was clear that he hadn't been asleep. A similar situation was playing out in the Swamp. Frank was curled on the ground, crying piteously, holding his stomach. "I'm dying!" He exclaimed. "I'm dying!"

"Oh no," Cassie said, looking worried, "Him too?"

"Wait," BJ said, looking up from the ground where he was sitting next to Frank, "What do you mean, 'too'?"

"Hannah's not feeling so hot herself," Cassie said, gesturing with disgust to her pajama pant legs. "She just threw up all over the floor and she's got a pretty high fever."

Hawkeye sighed and said, "Great. Whatever it is, it sounds like it's spreading. BJ, you get Frank back into bed and I'll go check on Hannah. Then we can figure out what's going on and take care of it."

Cassie took Hawkeye's hand and tugged him out of the Swamp. He looked at her. Other than obviously tired, she seemed fine. "You feel okay, right?" he asked.

She nodded, "Just fine. I was sleeping. I woke up when I heard her gagging and starting to throw up."

He sighed, "Not a nice wake-up call."

Cassie snorted and opened up the door for him. Hannah was still lying curled up on the floor. The smell of sickness hung in the air.

Hawkeye bent down, felt Hannah's forehead with his hand, and asked, "How do you feel?"

Looking miserable, she mumbled, "Sick. Dizzy. Hot." He looked up at Cassie, who was standing nearby looking anxious and eager to help. "Go get Radar, tell him what's going on, get a stretcher, and help him bring it out."

She nodded and ran off. To her dismay, she found Radar in a similar fashion, sprawled on his own bed, a fine sheen of sweat covering his body. "Radar!" she exclaimed, feeling the small clerk's head. 

"Don't feel so good," he mumbled, looking sweaty and disoriented.

"Stay here," she said. “I'll be right back with someone to check you out."

"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, running outside and nearly into Father Mulcahy. "Sorry, Father."

"It's alright. Accidents happen. What are you doing up this time of night? Though I must admit, I am relieved to see you. One of the nurses just stepped out of the latrine and she's terribly sick."

"Throwing up and a high fever?" she asked. He nodded. "This is turning into an epidemic!" Cassie exclaimed, looking frustrated.

"An epidemic?" he asked, looking worried. 

"Now that's Hannah, Frank, Radar, and the nurse you found!" 

Jay, awakened by the commotion, trotted over. After a few minutes, everyone who was sick had been corralled into post-op. The nurses were getting the sick people settled while Hawkeye, BJ, Colonel Potter, Father Mulcahy, Jay, and Cassie gathered into Colonel Potter's office.

"Now what in Sam Hill is going on here?!" Colonel Potter asked, looking frustrated. "Everyone was fine when we went to bed and now we've got chaos!"

"Stomach bug?" BJ suggested.

"Maybe," said Hawkeye, "But why aren't the rest of us showing any symptoms? Whatever it is, it hit these people fast and hard and the rest of us seem fine." He looked over at Cassie and asked again, "You feel fine, right?"

Cassie looked thoughtful for a second, and then said, "Yeah. Tired, but otherwise fine." She looked at Jay, who nodded in agreement.

The doctors sat discussing for a moment while Cassie was running an idea through her head. She tentatively raised a few fingers, hoping to get their attention, but without actually interrupting. After all, they were doctors…and she was just guessing. Colonel Potter noticed her hesitation and held up a hand to silence Hawkeye and BJ. 

"Any comments from the peanut gallery?" Hawkeye joked.

"Well..." Cassie began, looking uncertain, "I was just wondering...if maybe they all have food poisoning? On account of the meat that was sitting out on the food table didn't smell so good to me...so I didn't eat any...but maybe they did?"

Potter stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "I didn't have any meat. Pierce? Hunnicutt?" They both shook their heads no. Jay also shook his head. Cassie continued, "I know I saw both Hannah and Radar eat the meat.” She shrugged and then minimized, “I’m just guessing."

"You may be onto something," Potter said. "The symptoms and time frame of illness fit. And those of us who aren't sick didn't eat the meat and we know at least some of our sick people did. It's a start." He turned to Hawkeye and BJ. "You two, go speak with the patients. See who ate the meat. Ask the people who aren't sick too. See if we can be reasonably sure it's food poisoning."

He turned to Cassie and Jay, "You two, if you don't mind, can help me out."

"Of course," they chorused.

"We need to get around to the rest of the camp. Check on everyone. Talk to them. Find out if anyone else is sick and see who did and didn't eat the meat." He pulled out some personnel rosters. "Check off whomever you talk to. Mark off the list so you can report back on who's sick, who's not sick, who ate the meat, and who didn't."

They grabbed their lists and were out the door. Cassie popped back in and said, "...Except maybe I'll change my pants first." Colonel Potter nodded and she left.

The report was not pretty. The majority of the nurses were sick, except for Margaret and Nurse Able. Radar and Frank were down. As was Hannah...and apparently Russ, who turned up vomiting violently in the latrine during Jay and Cassie's search of camp. The group reconvened inside Potter's office. 

Potter ran his hands over his face in a tired sort of way. "This is a nightmare," he said. "God help us if we get choppers now. We wouldn't have enough room for everybody in post-op."

"It's definitely food poisoning," Hawkeye said. "Every sick person we've talked to had the meat. And nearly all the healthy people didn't. We're watching the ones who are still feeling okay, but said they had the meat." He nudged Cassie playfully, "Nice thinking, good-lookin'''.

She smiled tiredly. A knock on the door interrupted the banter. The doors swung open and in walked Sidney Freedman.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Sigmund Freud," Hawkeye said affectionately, rising and shaking his hand.

"Doc," BJ said, with a nod in his direction.

"It's good to see you, Sidney," Colonel Potter said, "Things've been pretty rough lately around here and we could use the extra hands on staff." 

Before Sidney could ask, Colonel Potter gestured and said, "Meet Cassie and Jay. They're half of the acting troupe that came to entertain us."

"Half?" Sidney asked. He thought the girl looked exhausted.

"The other half is in post-op. We've had an unfortunate outbreak of food poisoning. More than half the camp got it," BJ said, sighing through his nose.

Sidney sighed too. Colonel Potter exchanged meaningful glances with Hawkeye and BJ, who took their cue to leave. "Well, why don't we leave you two to some catching up?" Hawkeye said. He turned to Cassie and Jay. "Care to join us for a game of poker?"

Jay shrugged and said, "Sure." The four left the office, leaving Colonel Potter and Sidney alone. "Those the ones?" Sidney asked quietly, looking at the still-swinging doors. Colonel Potter nodded and said, "I don't know what that manager saw or thought he saw. They seem okay to me...but something in my gut tells me you'd better be here."

Sidney nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on them.”


End file.
